


Anybody At Any Time

by laureltreedaphne



Category: The Next Big One - Derek Des Anges
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-23
Updated: 2016-12-23
Packaged: 2018-09-11 07:50:39
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,898
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8970376
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/laureltreedaphne/pseuds/laureltreedaphne
Summary: Love in the time of KBV.





	

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Fahye](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Fahye/gifts).



_"Love is like a virus - it can happen to anybody at any time." - Maya Angelou_ **  
**

 

**Top KBV Scientists Call Quarantine “Unnecessary, Inhumane”**

**Ben Martin, Staff Writer**

According to NHS estimates, there are currently 2.2 million patients in quarantine wards across the UK. Up until a few months ago, the quarantine wards were an unpleasant, but necessary evil. The infected needed to be kept separate from the healthy if we were to have any hope of preventing KBV from becoming a nationwide, or worse, world-wide epidemic.

That was before St Thomas.

The failed St Thomas quarantine, readers will recall, was the first indication that the route of KBV transmission had changed. Dr. Natalya Yagoda, esteemed virologist and head of the KBV task force, explains.

“As we know, KBV was created by joining together several different viruses – in order for this to work, the viruses chosen to make up KBV were ones that could easily hybridize. Essentially, one virus joins another virus, creating a virus that has characteristics of both. Unfortunately, this means KBV itself can easily take on the characteristics of other viruses. From our examination of samples from more recently infected patients, we believe that at some point KBV came in contact with a virus transmitted by droplets – commonly known as an ‘airborne’ illness – and hybridized, changing the transmission vector. Unfortunately, KBV is one of the most infectious viruses we’ve ever seen – so far evidence suggests that everyone who meets KBV becomes infected with it.”

By the time the new route of transmission had been identified, the so-called “St Thomas strain” had spread throughout London. Family members, delivery porters, and, of course, members of the police blockade encountered the infectious droplets, then rode the Tube, visited shops, and returned home to their own families, spreading the new strain before we even knew it existed. And now, epidemiologists suspect that 86% of the country is likely infected – some even believe that estimate may be too low.

“With the infectivity of this virus,” says Dr. Bill Greenhill, epidemiologist and current head of the Coalition for KBV Infected Rights, “and the change in transmission vector, it’s very unlikely that anyone remains uninfected unless they’ve been living in extreme isolation – perhaps there are pockets of remote countryside that the virus has not yet reached. But in my opinion – it’s not even worth getting tested anymore. All that’s left to do at this point is hope for a cure. I’m obviously not religious, but at this point even I’ve said a prayer or two. And it goes without saying that at this level of infectivity, quarantine is pointless.”

Though KBV’s transmission vector has mutated, one of its defining characteristics has not changed – the extremely long latency period, in which patients remain completely asymptomatic. Which means that the UK is currently imprisoning 2.2 million people who are not sick, keeping them from contacting their families and friends, forcing them to spend the upcoming holidays in overcrowded and understaffed hospitals. If the epidemiologists are right – and we have no reason to believe they are not – the quarantine wards no longer serve any purpose. The UK’s borders have been closed since October, meaning there’s no risk to the rest of the world. We’re all waiting for a cure. Let’s wait together. 

* * *

“It’s good,” Daniel said, closing the laptop and placing it none too carefully back on the cluttered coffee table. Minnie, who was curled in a tight ball by his thigh and had been resting her chin on the keyboard, shifted angrily against him and let out a disgruntled “Mroow.” “Sorry, sweetheart,” he scratched between her ears, which seemed to appease her. Minnie and Daniel had taken an instant shine to each other the first time Ben had brought him over to the flat – he suspected it was inherent respect for each other’s bitchiness.

“Sherazi would be screaming at me about turning a news piece into an op-ed.”

“Well Sherazi has no say and is likely off dying of KBV somewhere, just like the rest of us.”

“Nice.”

“Well it’s true,” said Daniel, but he slid over and scritched his fingers through the curls at the nape of Ben’s neck, one of his many gestures of apology for when he was being too much of an asshole for Ben’s liking. Ben sighed and let his eyes flutter shut for a moment.

“The people who think they’re still healthy are going to go absolutely mental,” he said. Daniel shrugged.

“A personal belief that you’re still healthy doesn’t trump actual scientific evidence that says you aren’t. Or that even if you are, you won't be for long. It’s not right to keep a bunch of people locked up because they just happened to be unlucky enough to get infected before the rest of us. And what’s the point of you and Bill always nattering on about how someone has to speak for them if you’re not going to actually do it?”

“I know,” said Ben, resting his face in his hands. “I know, I just-“

“You’re always like this,” Daniel interrupted, “Every single time you publish something. I can see the anxiety wheels spinning. Which means soon you’ll either be kissing the toilet or kissing your stupid vape, both of which make me not want to kiss you.”

Ben shook his head and let out a sound that was something between a laugh and an outraged sob. “Maybe your New Year’s resolution can be ‘stop being an asshole about my boyfriend’s mental illness?’”

“My New Year’s resolution is find a fucking cure for KBV, thanks very much,” said Daniel, “but sorry. I just hate watching you work yourself up and it makes me worry, and my level of worry vs. level of asshole is strongly correlated…here-“ he shifted, accidentally knocking Minnie off the couch who stalked away with an extremely pissed off flick of her tail. Ben found himself with a lapful of Daniel, who’d moved to straddle him with a leg on either side of his thighs. “I’ll make it up to you. And distract you.”

Though it was cold outside, inside the flat the busted radiator was pumping out far too much heat, making it sweltering. Daniel had slipped off all his cold weather gear the moment he’d stepped inside, and now was wearing nothing but his favorite pair of skinny jeans and a bright red vest with the words “Fuck KBV” emblazoned across the chest. Natalya had apparently had then made for her entire team, but Daniel was the only one willing to wear it. About a month ago someone had managed to photograph him inside the lab with it on, which had sparked a week of furious television commentary about disrespect vs. dark humor as stress relief in the face of untenable situations. As far as Ben could tell, Daniel had rather enjoyed the brief brush with celebrity.

Ben slid his hands down Daniel’s bare arms, thin enough to wrap a hand around and yet still corded with tight muscle. Months of being with Daniel, and he still hadn’t gotten used to this – the idea that he got to touch someone who looked like he did. “How is it that you spend your entire day working to save the human race,” Ben asked, sliding his fingers to interlock with Daniel’s, “and yet somehow you end up having to comfort me more often than not?”

“Because I’m too fabulous to worry about every little thing?” Daniel suggested, raising an eyebrow. “And because I need you mentally intact so that you can write a glowing profile of me once I _do_ save the world. Now just-“ He leaned forward and pressed a kiss to the skin just behind Ben’s left ear, a spot that never failed to make Ben melt almost instantly. Daniel dragged his teeth lightly against it, then leaned back and pinned Ben with his dark eyes. “Let me take care of you,” he said, before pressing his lips against Ben’s own.

Ben opened up to him instantly, letting Daniel lick eagerly into his mouth. After years of not letting himself kiss anyone, he loved kissing Daniel, who was particularly skilled at it. He’d never been with anyone like Daniel, who touched him with practiced ease and yet managed to act like every moment with Ben was a new delight. Daniel, in fact, seemed to revel in Ben’s relative inexperience.

“Do you know what I think about, in the lab,” Daniel asked, pushing Ben’s jumper and t-shirt up and over his head, then biting fondly at the junction of Ben’s neck and shoulder. “While I’m waiting for the millionth sample to finish running, and I don’t want to think about what it all means? I think about how hungry I am for you, how much I love the little sounds you make when I do this –“ Daniel curled his tongue around a nipple, and Ben obligingly yelped.

Daniel moved off him, coming down off the couch to rest on his knees between Ben’s legs, shoving the coffee table out of the way so haphazardly that Kingsley was bound to give him a knowing look when he got home. He made deft work of the buttons on Ben’s jeans, tapping on his stomach to instruct him to lift up, so that he could slide the jeans and the boxers inside down Ben’s legs, letting his cock spring free. “I think about the marks I want to put on you,” Daniel said, casually, before biting at the inside of Ben’s thigh’s, making heat pool low in his belly and his cock twitch.

Daniel swept his mouth up slowly, pausing to bite at Ben’s other thigh, to nose into the crease at his groin, and, breathtakingly, to lap gently at his balls before he glanced up, caught Ben’s eye, and went down in a practiced move, swallowing Ben’s cock all the way to the hilt. This was another thing Ben would never get used to – he knew Daniel had been with a lot of guys, loved to suck cock, but his skill and enthusiasm was something Ben wouldn’t have been able to imagine in his wildest fantasies. After a few embarrassingly short minutes Ben was coming, letting Daniel lap it up and then straddle Ben’s lap again, jerking himself off roughly into the curve of his stomach.

After, Daniel lay his head against Ben’s chest and breathed quietly for a few moments. He was always different, afterwards, softer and a little less-Daniel, somehow. Ben often wondered if he’d been like this with random club hookups or if it was something special, just for him.

“I am, you know,” Daniel said, just as Ben was considering making moves towards cleaning himself up.

“You’re what?”

“Going to save the world,” said Daniel. Ben looked down at him, where he could see a faint blush blooming where Daniel’s cheek was pressed against his chest. “M’not going to let you fucking die.”

Ben considered. He was almost certainly going to die. Most of Britain was almost certainly going to die. But if anyone could stop it, it would be beautiful, brilliant, fierce Daniel, driven to be the best and inherently noble, despite himself. He stroked a hand through Daniel’s dark hair, still perfectly coiffed in a world where most people no longer bothered to even leave their houses.

“Ok,” he said, smiling. “I’m not too worried about it.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


End file.
